Can body treating machine



Dec. 2, 1941. J. F. PETERS CAN BODY TREATING MACHINE Filed Aug. .2, 19 40 INVENTOR fiiau BY 0Q I ATTfib??? Patented Dec. 2, 1941 CAN BODY TREATING MACHINE John F. Peters, Leonia, N. J assignor to, American Can Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application August 2, 1940, Serial No. 349,782

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to can body treating machines and the like and has particular reference to shifting and properly locating light weight fibre can bodies relative to devices at working stations performing operations on the bodies. This is an improvement on the Can end assembling machine disclosed in United States Patent 2,200,276, issued May 14, 1940, to J. M. Hothersall et al.

In the treatment of light weight fibre can bodies preparatory to assembling an end member therewith th body is sometimes moved into and out of work performing devices located along a path of travel through which the bodies move. The light weight of the bodies sometimes creates difficulties in properly moving and locating them relative to the work performing devices at high speeds and this sometimes deforms the bodies so that the can end members which are subsequently assembled with them will not fit properly.

The present invention contemplates overcoming this difficulty by providing gripper fingers for firmly holding the can body and a pusher plate which distributes the body shifting load more evenly so that the body will be properly shifted and located.

An object therefore of the invention is the provision in a can body treating machine of devices for shifting and locating light weight fibre can bodies relative to work performing devices wherein the can body is held in place by gripper fingers while being backed up by a rigid pusher support so that the load of shifting a body will be distributed over a large area and thereby prevent distortion of the body by improper location in the work performing devices.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a sectional view of work performing devices at a station in a can end assembling machine embodying the instant invention, with parts broken away;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along the line 22 in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional detail taken substantially along the line 33 in Fig. 2, with parts broken away.

As a preferred embodiment of the instant invention the drawing illustrates principal parts of a can body beading station of a can end assembling machine of the character disclosed in the above mentioned Hothersall patent. Such a machine beads can bodies and assembles them with can ends to produce containers of the character exemplified by the well known rectangular milk container disclosed in United States Patent 2,085,979, issued July 6, 1937, to J. M. Hothersall. In containers of this character rectangular, tubular fibre bodies A are first formed with an annular inwardly extending bead B which sets off a flange C. At subsequent stations end members are inserted within the bodies in position against the bead and the flange is then folded over against the end member and sealed in position.

In the instant machine the can bodies A are carried along a straight line path of travel in a horizontal position in an intermittent or step-by.- step manner on a conveyor ll (Fig. 1) while the cans are held against upward displacement by a hold down plate l2. The conveyor is operated in any suitable manner in time with the other moving parts of the machine.

When the conveyor comes to rest between movements it brings a can body A into position at the beading station of the machine with one end adjacent a body beading head l3 and the other end adjacent can shifting devices generally indicated by the numeral M.

The can shifting devices l4 operate to shift the can transversely of the conveyor and thus insert the end adjacent the beading head into the head for the beading operation which produces the bead B. This beading operation is preferably performed by radially movable jaws l6 disposed in the head and actuated in any suitable manner in time with theother moving parts of the machine. n

The can shifting devices include two pairs of gripper elements 2|, an upper pair and a lower pair which are adapted to grip the upper and lower flat sides of the can and hold it firmly. Each pair of gripper elements comprises an outer jaw 22 and an inner jaw 23. The outer jaws 22 are mounted on pivot pins 25 carried in lugs 26 formed on a pusher head 21. The inner ends of the jaws are serrated to produce gripper teeth 28. The outer ends of the jaws are engaged by spring barrels 29 which force th gripper teeth in? engagement with the outside of the can The inner jaws 23 are formed integrally with the pusher head 21. The outer surfaces of these jaws are also serrated to form gripper teeth 3| to better grip the inside of the can body.

A push plate 35 is secured to the face of the pusher head 21. The plate is rectangular in shape and is larger than the cross sectional area of the can body so that the end of the latter will fully seat against the plate. Slots 36 formed in the plate provide clearance spaces for the jaws 22, 23.

The pusher head 21 is movable toward and away from the end of the can body to be gripped. For this purpose the pusher head is formed integrally with a slide block 4| which slides in a slideway 42 in a bracket 43 bolted to a frame 44 which constitutes the main frame of the The slide block is reciprocated in its" machine. slideway by a cam roller 46 which extends down through a slot 41 in the bracket 43 and operates in a cam groove 48 of a rocker cam 49. The cam is keyed to a rock shaft carried in bearings 52 formed in the main frame 44. The shaft may be rocked in any suitable manner in time with the other moving parts of the machine.

The pusher head 21 is normally in a position toward the right as viewed in Fig. 1 and in this position the jaws 22 are open and in spaced relation to the stationary jaws 23. The jaws are held in this position by stationary inclined cam blocks 55 which are secured to the bracket 43. These cam blocks engage against beveled surfaces 56 formed on the back end of the jaws adjacent the spring barrels 29.

Hence when a can body A moves into'the beading station, the slide block moves toward the can body and thereby brings-the pusher plate 35 into engagement with the end of the body. This movement of the slide block also brings the open jaws 22 into overlapping position relative to the can body. As the slide block continues to move the rear ends of the jaws 22 ride off the stationary cam blocks 55 and the spring barrels 29'thereupon press the jaws against the can body thus clamping the body side Wall tightly between the movable jaws 22 and the stationary jaws 23. With two opposite side walls of the body thus clamped tightly and the end of the body seated fully against the pusher plate 35 the body is shifted transversely of the conveyor H and inserted into the head 12 for the beading operation as hereinbefore explained.

The gripper jaws 22, 23 and pusher plate 35 remain in position relative to the can body during the beading operation and withdraw the beaded can body from the head and return it to its original position in the conveyor after completion of the beading operation. When the returning slide block 4| moves the gripper jaws 22 far enough to again come into engagement with the cam blocks 55 the jaws move outwardly and thus release the can body for further advancement by the conveyor.

With such a construction of body gripping plate also being of greater area than the crosssectional area of the can body provides for a more uniform and equal distribution of the pushing load. against the can end and therefore the walls of the body are prevented from being distorted or crushed.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. In a can end assembling machine, the combination of a pusher head for engaging against anend of a can body, said pusher head including a can end engaging pusher plate of greater area than the cross sectional area of said can body, means associated with said pusher head for holding the can body in engagement with said plate, and actuating devices for shifting said pusher head to move the held can body into a desired predetermined position.

2. In a can end assembling machine, the combination of a can body beading head, a pusher head for engaging against an end of a can body adjacent said beading head, said pusher head including a can end engaging pusher plate of greater area than the cross sectional area of said can body, a pair of-gripper fingers on said head and movable therewith for holding the can body rigidly against said head, and actuating devices for shifting said pusher head to move the held can body into operative engagement with said beading head.

3. In a can end assembling machine, the combination of a pusher head, a plate on said head and having a greater area than the cross sectional area of a can body for engaging against an end of the can body, a pair of gripper fingers on said head and movable therewith for holding the can body rigidly againstsaid plate, and actuating devices for shifting said pusher head to move the held can body into a desired predetermined position.

JOHN F. PETERS. 

